The picture above shows the Mojave Air and Space Port’s boneyard, a large aircraft recycling facility located north of the spaceport’s three runways. It’s an impressive sight for anyone who visits the airport and looks out at the 747s and other large aircraft sitting in various states of dis-assembly. Yet, it’s even more interesting in this overhead view, which shows just how many aircraft are actually out there. This is something that is impossible to see with a ground level view.

Unfortunately I don’t have time today to play the whole quiz, but the tanker from Waterworld is in the image center left, parked right at the nose of that 747.

It took months to build. Many years ago, I was driving out to my test site and the tanker, then positioned near the flight line, was framed in my rear view mirror…when it exploded. Effects people had rigged a propane “explosion” device and I was in just the right spot at the right time. Over the next few weeks, it went off again and again, but never with that unique juxtaposition.